Chapter 195

Chapter 195

On the tenth day of the second month, at Wei Guogong's Mansion.

The Xiao family had just finished breakfast and were discussing when the relatives from Wei County might arrive when the doorkeeper came to report that the two masters from the Sun family had arrived.

Madam He smiled and said, "They are quite fast, earlier than the younger sisters-in-law and in-laws."

Xiao Shouyi said, "Let's go and receive them together."

Madam He replied, "Is there even a need to receive them?"

Sun Dian and Sun Wei were of the younger generation, and though Du was of the same generation as her, Madam He was now the wife of the heir to the Duke's Mansion, so it was Du's turn to pay her respects to Madam He.

Madam He was about to stop her husband when she noticed, from the corner of her eye, that the old master had risen from his seat. She quickly swallowed her words.

In the front courtyard of the Duke's Mansion, Du led her grandson, Da Lang, by the hand, gazing in awe at the surroundings of the first courtyard, finding everything new and interesting.

Seeing this, Sun Wei murmured, "Mother, please be mindful. Don't let the servants laugh at us."

Sun Dian said, "Let them talk. Mother should do as she pleases. We are from the village and don't need to imitate the customs of wealthy families."

Du agreed, "Elder Son is right. I won’t be staying here long. There's no need for them to remember who I am, and I don't need to care if they laugh."

Sun Wei's wife snorted, "Once you leave, I'll go back with you, so I won’t be seen as too rustic."

Da Lang said, "Second Uncle, Second Aunt is talking about you."

Sun Wei was speechless.

At that moment, footsteps echoed from inside. Upon hearing them, Du quickly composed herself. When the old master turned the corner, leading the way, Du immediately knelt down with her sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren, giving a sincere kowtow.

Xiao Mu exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing?"

Tong Sui had already moved to help Du up, and Liu Chu went to assist Sun Wei's wife.

Du refused to rise, struggling against Tong Sui, she tearfully said, "Uncle, I'm not kneeling because you've been ennobled as Duke. I'm kneeling because I see you as a real uncle. If it weren't for you in Lingshui Village, we would have either died at the hands of mountain bandits or rebel soldiers. It's because of your support that Elder Son and his brother have their current official positions and wealth. This kind of favor makes you closer than my real uncle. Before we left, Old Sun repeatedly instructed us to kowtow to you on his behalf."

Seeing that Tong Sui was having difficulty helping Du up, Xiao Mu angrily scolded Sun Dian and his brother, "If your mother treats me as an outsider, will you do the same? If you don't get up, all of you leave!"

Sun Dian and Sun Wei quickly helped their family to their feet.

While helping them up, Sun Dian secretly glanced at Liu Chu.

Seeing that Sun Wei's wife was willing to rise, Liu Chu promptly returned to stand behind Madam He.

Xiao Mu said to Du, "If you and Xinghai truly consider me family, you shouldn’t speak like outsiders. Wipe your tears, and let’s go inside to catch up."

Du wiped her tears and nodded.

Xiao Mu looked at the three Sun family children. Da Lang was nine years old, Er Lang was six, and Niu Niu was only three, clinging tightly to her mother’s side.

Xiao Mu called Da Lang and Er Lang to his side, taking one by each hand. He first asked Da Lang, "Have you been studying diligently at home?"

Da Lang replied, "Yes!"

Er Lang said, "He's lying. He always runs out of the private school. Grandfather has gone to find him several times and has even hit him a few times."

Da Lang was left speechless.

Sun Dian was about to scold his son when the old man said, "No problem. Your dad was just like you when he was young, which is why he’s not as scholarly as your second uncle."

Sun Dian: "..."

Xiao Yan: "It’s fine if you don’t like reading, but you must learn martial arts. We should be good at either literature or martial arts. At the very least, we need to excel in one."

Xiao She: "That’s right, I also dislike studying, but I’ve still made something of myself."

Xiao Shouyi: "If we can excel in both literature and martial arts, why settle for just one? Yao Ge Er was almost misled by you guys. Let’s not mess up the future of Da Lang and Er Lang."

Du Shi looked at Qi Yao, who was next to Xiao Yuchan, and praised, "Look at the presence of Yao Ge Er, he’s like a born young master. Unlike Er Lang, who only knows how to play with mud by the pond."

Xiao Ye: "Auntie, playing with mud isn’t a bad thing. Which of us brothers hasn’t played in the mud by your pond? And are we any worse than those young masters now?"

Sun Dian: "Exactly, the mud in our pond brings good luck. The more you play with it, the luckier you’ll be."

With all the jokes, everyone’s smiles never faded.

The Zhang family was the second to arrive.

The elder Zhang sister-in-law saw the Sun family and said with a smile, "We took a detour through Fushan Fang, but you arrived early and didn’t wait for us."

Du Shi: "It was all my idea. I was so eager to see the old man that I couldn’t sleep last night, so I came early and didn’t wait for you."

The Zhang brother and sister-in-law wanted to kneel and kowtow to the old man, but Xiao Zhen and Tong Sui, who had prepared in advance, stopped them.

Xiao Mu beckoned Zhang Chao over.

Zhang Chao was twelve this year. At the age of six, he had followed his uncle Zhang Wengong to train in martial arts at the Xiao family. Diligent, intelligent, and steady, Zhang Chao was treated by Xiao Mu like a great-grandson.

When Tong Shan arrived, all the younger generations of the families were present. Xiao Mu looked at each of them and said to Zhang Wensheng and his wife, "Since your father-in-law won’t come, it’s right for you two to go back and take care of him, but let Chao Ge Er stay here. Wen Gong is busy with his duties and doesn’t have time to look after him, so let Chao Ge Er stay with us and study and train with Xiaoshan. Mr. Cen is a renowned scholar from Luoyang. Since we’ve invited him, let him teach a few more students."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wensheng and his wife, moved, were about to kneel again, but they were stopped. Unexpectedly, Zhang Wengong knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your great kindness to our Zhang family will never be repaid in this lifetime!"

Xiao Mu: "Get up, get up. Anyone who kneels again today won’t be welcome back in the future!"

Zhang Wengong stood to the side with red eyes.

Xiao Mu then looked at Da Lang and Er Lang, "You two will join them as well. If anyone dares not to study properly, I’ll beat you on behalf of your grandfather."

The two boys were confused, and the Sun family elders were once again overwhelmed with gratitude.

The Pan family arrived last.

Pan Yong and Pan Dai usually accompanied the old man, so only the three female family members needed to exchange pleasantries. The old man didn’t say much and left the socializing to the women of the household.

It was still early, so the women went to tour the large gardens of the Duke’s and Marquis’s residences.

Wang Shi supported her mother-in-law, Madam Pan, while her daughter Pan Yuerou followed behind them. The three maintained a distance as they walked.

Madam Pan looked around and praised, "This is truly the residence of a duke and marquis, capable of housing several generations."

Wang Shi thought of Xiao Ye and Xiao She and smiled, "There must be many noble ladies hoping to marry the Fourth and Fifth Masters."

If it weren’t for the reasoning her husband had explained to her, she might have pushed a little harder for her daughter. But now, even if the Xiao family proposed, she wouldn’t marry her daughter into the Xiao family.

Pan Yuerou, with proper demeanor, admired the gardens of both residences, preferring the Marquis’s residence slightly more due to its large garden.

Too bad the Marquis’s residence already has a mistress.

But Pan Yuerou believed it wouldn't be long before she could have her own grand mansion and large garden.

---

After a lively lunch, Wang Shi used the excuse of wanting to visit the nearby North Market and bid farewell to the Pan family first.

As soon as the Pan family left, Sun Dian’s mother, Du Shi, quietly remarked to Tong Sui, "Why does Wang Shi seem less enthusiastic towards us now compared to when we were on the road?"

Pan Yong, a third-rank military commander, and her eldest son held the same rank as Zhang Wengong. On the way to Luoyang, Wang Shi not only flattered Madam He and her sister-in-law but had also been all smiles towards her own family and the Zhang family, saying nice things in various ways.

However, once they arrived in Luoyang, despite the Sun, Pan, and Zhang families living in neighboring districts, Wang Shi seemed to have changed. She had only returned their visits once and had not socialized since.

Initially, Du Shi thought Wang Shi was too busy settling into her new home to spare time, but today, seeing Wang Shi’s attitude towards the Xiao family cool down, she realized something was amiss.

Having served as the Village Headman’s wife for over twenty years, Du Shi was skilled in social interactions and sensitive to such changes.

With a gentle reminder from the elder, Tong Sui exchanged a glance with her and whispered, "I'll pay attention. If there’s any misunderstanding, I’ll try to clear it up as soon as possible."

In fact, Tong Sui had already figured out the reason.

Xiao Zhen and Xiao Ye had both mentioned to her that Pan Yong seemed to get along well with Fan Zhao. Whenever Fan Zhao hosted a banquet at home or dined out, he would invite Pan Yong.

Of course, Fan Zhao had also invited the Xiao brothers, but Xiao Zhen disliked such meaningless drinking engagements and only attended once before stopping.

In Fan Zhao’s eyes, Xiao Zhen was someone who didn’t give him face, so he stopped inviting the other Xiao brothers as well.

But after arriving in Luoyang, how did he suddenly get along with Fan Zhao because of his good drinking capacity?

It was simply because Fan Zhao was highly favored and trusted by the Xingping Emperor, and Pan Yong preferred to align with Fan Zhao rather than the Xiao family, who were new nobles caught between the Jizhou regular army faction and the old courtiers of Luoyang.

Water flows downhill, and people seek higher ground. The Pan family, originally new settlers in Lingshui Village, couldn’t be trusted by the Xiao family as much as the Sun and Zhang families when the Xiao family rose to power. Now, it was only natural that the Pan family didn’t want to continue standing behind the Xiao family like the Sun and Zhang families did.

Even real brothers sometimes split midway; what more for those who have only known each other for a year or two.

---

In the afternoon, before Mr. Cen moved into the Marquis’s residence, Tong Sui prepared rooms for Zhang Chao, and the Sun family's eldest and second sons.

There were too many vacant rooms in the Marquis’s residence. Tong Sui had previously arranged for her younger brother to stay in the courtyard behind the couple's quarters, and now Tong Shan continued to stay in the main house, Zhang Chao stayed in the east wing room, and the eldest and second sons stayed in the west wing rooms.

Du Shi, Sun Wei’s wife, and the Zhang family's elder sister-in-law all came to check and advised the children to study hard before leaving. Sun Dian and Zhang Wengong first sent their families back, then rode horses to bring the children's luggage over, and took the opportunity to accompany the children in paying respects to Mr. Cen.

Tong Shan and Zhang Chao were one group, Mianmian and the eldest son were another group, and Qi Yao and the second son were still in the enlightenment stage.

With more students, Xiao Zhen proposed giving Mr. Cen three times the tuition.

Mr. Cen was quite happy to teach more children since there were already three school-age students. Now, he just had to teach one more per group.

He only took double the tuition to avoid further courtesy from the Xiao family.

After the ceremony, Sun Dian and Zhang Wengong were about to leave.

Zhang Wengong was very reassured about his nephew, but Sun Dian was worried about the eldest son, fearing he would cause trouble for the Xiao family, especially at the Marquis’s residence.

"The second son is still sensible, but the eldest son is a little monkey, the kind who would tear off roof tiles if not spanked for three days."

In front of the eldest son, Xiao Zhen said, "If I can handle you, how can I not manage him?"

The eldest son: "……"

Tong Sui smiled and said, "Alright, don't worry. The lessons are taught by Mr. Cen, and the maids will take care of their daily needs. If they get naughty, you can take them back on their day off and discipline them. We don't need to worry about anything."

Sun Dian glanced at Liu Chu.

Liu Chu lowered her eyes.

Sun Dian then said to Tong Sui, "Thank you for your efforts, Lady Marquis."

Tong Sui didn't find it troublesome, but she was pondering the old master's intentions.

After they settled down for the night, she spoke to Xiao Zhen, "Not to mention how close you and Wen Gong are, like brothers, just looking at the marriage arrangement between our cousin and Wen Gong, Wen Gong is definitely on our side. That's why Grandfather isn't worried about any more gossip by having Chao'er come here to study."

"Sun Dian and Sun Wei are different cases. They are only connected to us through the same village. They can either continue to follow us or, like the Pan family, seek connections with other prominent families. By bringing Da Lang and Er Lang here, it appears to outsiders as a way to bind Sun Dian and Sun Wei to our side. Given how cautious Grandfather usually is, why would he do this?"

Xiao Zhen, with his arm around her shoulder and playing with her hand, said, "Some things require caution, but others should follow the heart. Grandfather already regards Sun Dian and Sun Wei as his own grandsons, just like Wen Gong. Since we have a good tutor here, ideally, we should bring the children of their families who are of similar age and grow them into pillars of society."

Tong Sui said, "I understand, but I can't help overthinking."

Xiao Zhen asked, "Elder Sister?"

Tong Sui, excited, propped herself up on her elbow and looked at him, "You feel the same way?"

Xiao Zhen smiled, "Aunt noticed that Sun Dian had taken several pairs of shoes from Fourth Brother. Grandfather is well aware of it. Given Elder Sister's personality, she will certainly be particularly attentive to these children. Bringing food today, checking on their well-being tomorrow, without special attention, Da Lang and Er Lang will naturally receive care over time, fostering affection."

Tong Sui said, "I think Da Lang really likes Elder Sister. According to A Fu, when they were in the village’s private school, Da Lang would always share his treats with Mianmian. If someone pulled Mianmian's braid, he would fight them. He already understood his father's intentions, what a clever child."

Xiao Zhen said, "Yes, my aunt also mentioned that when they returned to the village for the New Year in the twelfth month, Mianmian brought city toys for Da Lang and his siblings. Mianmian is sensible and used to keep her distance from Da Lang, but she probably figured it out when she saw Elder Sister making shoes for Sun Dian."

Tong Sui leaned back into his embrace, "The children are supportive; now it just depends on whether Elder Sister is willing to take that step."